The Game
Wow. That’s about all you can say. The Silvertips were cruising, less than six minutes away from a convincing road win over one-time nemesis Portland and Everett goaltender Carter Hart was nearly flawless in net.
It all changed following a Portland penalty at 13:35 in the third period. Winterhawks defenseman Caleb Jones scored a shorthanded goal less than a minute later, and Portland rode that momentum to two more goals in the final five-plus minutes.
You can watch all seven goals here.
With one game in hand of the Seattle Thunderbirds the Tips still control their own destiny, but now have no margin for error. The T-Birds can still tally 100 points while the Tips can now manage 101. Everett will look to regroup in a hurry Wednesday when it travels north to take on a very good Kelowna team that has won seven straight and nine of 10.
Portland’s three late goals cast a pall over what was a strong game for Hart who finished with 42 saves on 46 shots.
Jones was in the right spot for the rebound off the shorthanded rush for the second goal, and the Tips let Cody Glass curl behind the net and set up at the left circle for the tying goal. Skyler McKenzie cleaned up a loose puck at the front of the net for the game-winner. That really hurt because the Tips would have earned a standings point (and bought themselves more wiggle room) if they could have held out for 13 more seconds.
Overage defenseman Aaron Irving missed his third straight game and remains officially day-to-day.
The Turning Point
The shorthanded goal from Jones at 14:21 in the third cut Everett’s lead to 3-2 and jump-started the Winterhawks offense.
Three Stars
1. Portland F Cody Glass: The draft-eligible forward scored the tying goal and had two assists.
2. Portland F Lane Gilliss: Gilliss scored Portland’s first goal.
3. Portland F Skyler McKenzie: McKenzie scored the game-winning goal.
Honorable mention: Portland F Keegan Iverson (two assists), Everett G Carter Hart (42 saves on 46 shots).
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
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